Punjab Government Releases ₹55.45 Crore for Scheduled Caste Students: Dr. Baljit Kaur

86,583 Students to Benefit Under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme

Punjab Government, Led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, Committed to a Bright Future for SC Students

Chandigarh, February 2-The Punjab Government has released ₹55.45 crore as the state’s share for the financial year 2024-25 under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) Students. This initiative will benefit 86,583 students from the sanctioned budget.

Providing further details, Dr. Baljit Kaur, Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment, and Minorities, stated that ensuring education for Scheduled Caste students is a top priority for the state government. She emphasized that the primary objective of this scheme is to assist students from economically disadvantaged families in completing their education. Additionally, the remaining eligible students will receive their scholarships soon.

Dr. Baljit Kaur highlighted that the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is consistently working for the welfare of all sections of society, including Scheduled Caste students.

She further added that the release of these amount will help improve the living standards of Scheduled Caste students. The Minister also mentioned that the financial assistance is directly transferred to the beneficiaries' bank accounts, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

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PUNJAB TO SEND 7TH BATCH OF 36 SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO SINGAPORE FOR 5-DAY TRAINING

•Singapore visit aims to create a positive ripple effect on state's educational landscape, says Harjot Singh Bains

•198 principals & education officers already completed training at Singapore's Principal Academy

Chandigarh, February 2:With an aim to further lift the standards of school education in the state, the Punjab Government has decided to send 36 school principals to Singapore for a five-day training program, informed Mr. Harjot Singh Bains, School Education Minister, Punjab.

He said that 198 principals and education officers had already completed training at Singapore's Principal Academy as part of the Leadership Development Programme. The seventh batch of 36 school principals is scheduled to depart for Singapore in March this year. An "International Education Affairs Cell (IEAC)" has been set up in the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to provide international-level training to teachers, school heads and school education administrators working at different levels in the Education Department.

Sharing the details about eligibility criteria, the School Education Minister stated that candidates should not be older than 53 years as of January 31, 2025, and must possess an Indian passport that is valid until at least September 2025. Additionally, it is crucial that there are no pending charge-sheets, inquiries or criminal cases against the candidate. All candidates who fulfil these preliminary conditions will move on to the second round, where selections will be made based on merit, which will be determined by educational qualifications, experience, ACRs and awards.

S. Harjot Singh Bains said that the visit to Singapore for the principals is designed to provide them with a comprehensive training experience that focuses on enhancing their leadership and educational skills. During their stay, they would engage in various workshops, seminars, and hands-on activities that expose them to advanced teaching methodologies and educational practices used in Singapore schools, which are known for their high standards.

This exposure visit is expected to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement among the principals, allowing them to bring back innovative ideas and strategies to their own schools. By sharing their own experiences and insights, they would help to create a collaborative learning environment. It would create a systemic impact, fostering cross-learning, high motivation and improved teaching-learning processes in schools, he added.

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Press Gallery Committee of Punjab Vidhan Sabha unequivocally condemns illegal detention of Punjab mediapersons by Delhi Police

Chairman of Committee writes to Chief Election Commissioner to take strong action against erring Police officials & Non Recurrence of such dastardly incidents

Chandigarh, February 2:The Press Gallery Committee of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha has taken strong cognizance of the dastardly incident in New Delhi yesterday, where the journalists from the State of Punjab covering the elections to the Delhi Vidhan Sabha were illegally kept in the Tughlaq Road police station for 8 hours by the Delhi Police.

Condemning the incident as a blot on the fair name of democratic norms and demanding foolproof security for the journalists covering the elections, the Chairman of the Press Gallery Committee of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Mr. Ashwani Chawla said that the Committee has filed a written complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi.

Mr. Chawla further added that the journalists from Punjab were covering the Delhi Assembly polls discovered some malpractices being committed by members from a political outfit who were distributing liqour and other material to influence the voters in complete contravention of the Model Code of Conduct. As part of their journalistic duty, the journalists started covering the above said incident which was objected to by the unscrupulous elements who grossly misbehaved with the Punjab journalists.

The journalists from Punjab then informed the Delhi Police hoping that justice would be served but alas the Delhi Police on reaching the spot, instead misbehaved with the Punjab journalists and throwing all norms to the wind, even took them into the custody. The detained journalists included a Member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Press Gallery Committee.

This despite the fact that all the journalists were duly carrying their ID proofs.

They were kept in the police station for over 8 hours and were let off only when the news broke out into the media circles.

Hence, the Chief Election Commissioner is requested to ensure that such shameful incidents do not reoccur again, said Mr. Ashwani Chawla adding that strict action is called for against the erring police officials who were responsible.

Mr. Chawla also said that Media is the fourth pillar of the edifice of democracy and if the mediapersons would be forcibly stopped from discharging their rightful duty then it would be in a very bad taste.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Press Club too has condemned the incident in strong terms.

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FY 2024-25; Punjab achieves 11.87 pc growth in GST higher than national average of 10 pc: Harpal Singh Cheema

Punjab Among Top 3 GCSs that exceed GST National Growth Rate

Registers 15.33 pc growth in Excise, 11.67 pc in taxes from GST, Excise, VAT, CST & PSDT

Chandigarh, February 2-Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Sunday that the state has achieved an impressive 11.87 percent growth in net Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection upto January in the current fiscal year, compared to FY 2023-24. This growth rate surpasses the national average of 10 percent. Additionally, Punjab has witnessed a net growth of 15.33 percent in excise and a total of 11.67 percent in taxes from net GST, Excise, VAT, CST, and PSDT in the current fiscal year.

In a press communique issued here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema revealed that Punjab is among the top 3 general category states (GCS) in the country that have exceeded the national growth rate in GST collection. The net GST collection up to January in the current fiscal year stood at Rs 19,414.57 crore, compared to Rs 17,354.26 crore collected during the same period in FY 2023-24, reflecting a growth of Rs 2,060.31 crore. The state registered a 9.73 percent growth in net GST during January 2025, with a collection of Rs 2,008.58 crore against Rs 1,830.52 crore collected in January 2024.

Providing details of the growth in revenue from Excise, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema stated that the state has collected Rs 8,588.31 crore up to January in the current fiscal year, compared to Rs 7,446.46 crore collected during the same period in FY 2023-24, resulting in a growth of Rs 1,141.85 crore. The Excise growth rate during January 2025 was 15.91 percent, with a collection of Rs 893.04 crore against Rs 770.45 crore collected in January 2024.

The Finance Minister further added that the total collection from net GST, Excise, VAT, CST, and PSDT up to January in the current fiscal year is Rs 34,704.4 crore, with a net growth of Rs 3,625.46 crore when compared to Rs 31,078.94 crore collected during the same period in FY 2023-24. The total collection from these taxes in January 2025 reflected a growth of 12.48 percent compared to January 2024, with a total collection of Rs 3,545.09 crore against Rs 3,151.63 crore collected in January 2024.

Reiterating the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government’s commitment to making the state self-sufficient by increasing its own tax revenue, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema lauded the initiatives of the Excise and Taxation department in increasing revenue from these taxes without harassing anyone, by simply plugging loopholes and creating a check on tax evaders.

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Third special camp to be organized soon to issue clearance certificates related to real estate sector: Mundian

Clearance certificates handed over to 178 promoters/builders on the spot in two camps so far

Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is committed to planned development of cities

Chandigarh, February 2:Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led State Government is committed to the planned development of cities. In line with the commitment to provide transparent, smooth, corruption-free and convenient services to the people of the state, a third special camp is being organized soon to issue clearance certificates related to real estate sector. This was disclosed by Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardip Singh Mundian in a press communiqué released here today.

Mr. Mundian said that the State Government is making sincere efforts to increase investment opportunities in the state, under which it has started giving clearance certificates on the spot by organising camps to resolve the issues of promoters/developers on a priority basis.

So far, 178 promoters/builders have been handed over clearance certificates in the two camps organized. Now more certificates will be given by organising a third camp, for which the department is working at the ground level.

Mr. Mundian said that in the camp, certificates like licenses, completion certificates, partial completion certificates, letters of intent, zoning plans, building plans, promoter registration certificates and layout plans of colonies belonging to various development authorities would be handed over to the public.